Two beautiful Greek islands loved by Brits to issue crackdown in latest overtourism row
Santorini and Mykonos are expected to cap the number of cruise ships allowed to visit as the islands struggle to cope with the influx of tourists.
Two incredibly popular Greek islands that British tourists flock to every year are set to introduce a major ban in 2025 that will help tackle overtourism problems.
Santorini and Mykonos are expected to cap the number of cruise ships allowed to visit as the islands struggle to cope with the influx of tourists.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said, "Santorini is the most vulnerable, followed by Mykonos", and Santorini has already set limits on the number of tourists who can visit the island daily.
Princess Cruises removed some Santorini stops from its Sun Princess itineraries this year due to "cruise ship congestion" which has worsened in the wake of the pandemic.
The Greek National Tourism Organisation said that cruise ships carried seven million people into Greece on 5,230 dockings in 2023, compared to 4.38 million people on 4,614 ships the year before.
Santorini hotel owner Daniel Kerzner said large cruise ships are putting a strain on the island's resources for the tourists themselves as well as locals.
He told The National Herald: "The influx of large cruise ships strains the infrastructure, congests and deteriorates the experience for all travellers and provides little value to the island. The current move to restrict cruises is essential to protecting our island paradise."
The tiny island with a population of 16,000 got a staggering 1.3 million tourists in 2023. A member of staff for a local tour company said they need to expand to a different port to take some of the pressure off this existing one.
They anonymously told the outlet: "If we just had a different port that didn’t require cruise ship passengers to go through the whole tendering and cable car process, I believe half of our problems would vanish."
Mitsotakis added: "Visitors are willing to spend significantly to enjoy Santorini’s unique charm without the overcrowding. The island’s infrastructure cannot sustain such high numbers, even from a safety perspective."
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After things went back to normal following the Covid pandemic, tourism became a larger factor in Greece's economy than it was before. The mainland and islands saw nearly 33 million visitors in 2023.
This is the latest in a series of steps taken by European countries and cities to crack down on overtourism. In October last year, Barcelona slashed the number of cruises allowed to dock at any one time from 10 to seven.
Amsterdam has also announced plans to limit cruise ship dockings to reduce pollution and the number of tourists in the city.
